Business
The British government announced on Thursday that it was planning to build a $45 billion high speed rail corridor between the cities of London and Birmingham, and eventually to link to the northern cities of Manchester and Leeds. The train's 250 m...
Backpackers visiting Thailand top insurance claims in UK
BACKPACKERS taking trips to Thailand top the list of those making travel insurance claims, it was revealed yesterday.
Upbeat Data Boost UK Recovery Hopes For 2010
LONDON (Reuters) - A sharp rise in manufacturing activity, mortgage approvals and a key measure of money supply boosted hopes on Monday that the economy is gaining traction after an 18-month recession.
Britain mired in longest, deepest postwar recession
Britain is officially suffering its deepest post-war recession after the Office for National Statistics revealed today a smaller-than-expected revision to weak growth figures in the three months to September.
UK: Liberal Democrats announce £1.1bn mansion tax plan
The Liberal Democrats today pledged a tax raid on wealthy homeowners. In a bid to tempt traditional Labour voters, Vince Cable said he would introduce a new levy on houses worth more than £1 million while telling four million low-paid workers they...
U.K. Opposition Says Brown Misled Lawmakers on Spending
LONDON -- Leaders of the U.K. opposition Conservative party accused Prime Minister Gordon Brown Wednesday of misleading lawmakers about spending plans, saying they have treasury documents showing the department plans spending cuts of nearly 10%.
Gordon Brown sees Britain "on road to recovery"
Prime Minister Gordon Brown is expected to tell union members next week that the country's economy was on the "road towards recovery," according to extracts of his speech released on Sunday.
British Airways (BA) said it had cut its spending plans by 20 percent for the current year as it prepared for a lengthy industry downturn and reported that passenger numbers had fallen again.
British Queen faces battle over funding after spending record sums from savings
The Queen is set to face a battle with the Treasury over the funding of the Royal Household after new figures revealed the monarch drew record amounts of money from reserves this year.
London tube strike causes two days of chaos
London Underground workers began a 48-hour strike in a dispute over job security and pay, halting trains that carry as many as 3 million people a day and causing severe traffic delays in the capital.
Gordon Brown: 50p rate is not taxation for its own sake
Alistair Darling today defended his controversial budget predictions on economic growth and spending, as Gordon Brown denied the new 50p top rate of tax would sound the death knell for New Labour.
Budget 2009: British taxpayers face £5k bill each due to financial crisis
The warning was sounded only hours before Alistair Darling is expected to be forced to admit in today's Budget that Britain is experiencing the worst recession since the Second World War.
UK retail inflation turns negative
LONDON (AFP) — Britain's annual retail price inflation rate fell 0.4 percent in March, turning negative for the first time in nearly 50 years due to falling home loan payments, official data showed Tuesday.
British budget may include housing boost
LONDON (MarketWatch) -- British Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling is expected to announce a modest package of breaks and incentives designed to boost the nation's flagging housing sector when he releases the government's annual budget, ...
Lloyds and RBS could be broken up under Tories
BRITAIN'S biggest nationalised banks might be broken up under a Conservative government, to limit fallout from future institutional failures, George Osborne, the shadow chancellor has said.
British taxpayers owe us millions, claim Sinn Fein in expenses row
SINN Fein yesterday sought to defend the second-home expenses claimed by its MPs, despite the fact that all five refuse to take their seats at Westminster.
Royal Mint is warned that one in 20 £1 coins is fake
The pound in your pocket may be worth even less than you thought. According to an investigation by the BBC, as many as one in 20 £1 coins may be a forgery – double the Royal Mint's estimate.
Record and Mail journalists lose jobs
TWO dozen journalists at the Daily Record and Sunday Mail were yesterday told they had lost their jobs.
RBS says to cut up to 9,000 jobs
Part-nationalised British lender Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS.L) said it could shed up to 9,000 jobs over the next two years, including 4,500 in the UK, in an effort to cut costs.
3.25 million Brits working more than 48 hours a week
MORE than three million British workers currently exceed Europe's maximum 48-hour working week, according to figures from the TUC.